


Doe Ray Me

by Anonymous_Vermin_Invader



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Characters with Amnesia, Gen, Ghost is alive, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Game, Post-True Ending, The Hollow Knight is dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-01-09 07:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12271653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Vermin_Invader/pseuds/Anonymous_Vermin_Invader
Summary: A stranger enters the kingdom of Hallownest. Is it bug or is it beast? A nomad from across the barren wastes. What does it seek? What does it know? Where did it come from? That, it doesn't know.Perhaps within the shelter of this island of clarity, they shall regain the memories that was stolen by the wasteland beyond.





	1. Nadir

**Author's Note:**

> http://peculiurperennial.tumblr.com/image/164654074017

_Nadir._

That was the first thought that returned to her.

_I am Nadir._

The wasteland was barren; bereft of life, and like it, the wasteland robbed the thoughts of those who dare travel across its breadth. Only the simple survived; there was no room for thinking out here. That is, until one reached one of the many scattered islands of clarity; small bubbles which offered lucidity to one's mind, and made thoughts become clearer. 

Nadir tread past the structure which marked the border between the wasteland and the kingdom beyond, and immediately began to feel her mind become clear of the haze that had fell upon it out in the wastes. 

She paused, taking a moment to take stock of herself. The wasteland not only suppressed a creature’s thoughts, but it also had a way of suppressing memories as well, even after reaching an island of clarity. But the memories would return, she knew. She’d done this before, though at the moment she couldn’t remember when. But the memories always returned in time, and despite not knowing how she knew that this notion was true, she clung onto it like a lifeline. 

_Nadir._

_I am Nadir._

She mentally reaffirmed this mantra to herself as she slowly began moving once more, towards where she hoped would be civilization -- or at least, others who could think. This was an island of clarity after all, so there had to be beings here that could think. There just had to be.

 

\---

 

The town of Dirtmouth was quiet as always. The lumfly lamp-posts illuminated the empty streets; the various buildings casting eerie shadows as the wind blew in a whispering way that only added to the eeriness.

However, at the edge of town, not all was quite so tranquil. 

“HAH!” Hornet shouted as she dove from the air with her needle outstretched, the point burying itself into the ground as her opponent dodged the attack. Before she could wrench her blade out of the ground, her vision was momentarily obscured by shadow as Ghost dashed behind her and struck her with the flat of their nail. Hornet grunted as she fell forwards, but quickly regained her balance and swung her needle around to parry another incoming attack from her sibling. She then countered with her own swing that managed to graze the other’s cloak before they leapt away. 

When they landed, the young Knight glanced down at the tear in their grey cloak, before glancing back up at Hornet with what she could only assume was an accusatory look. This in turn made Hornet chortle in amusement at her siblings plight; of all the things the stoic little Knight could be bothered by, it had to be a tear in their cloak that they fixated on.

“If it makes any difference, I’ll promise to fix it if you best me this round.” Hornet offered, shifting back into a battle stance; knowing full well that Ghost would probably best her either way. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still try to win. 

Lately the two siblings had been making a thing out of engaging each-other in duels. Although the pestilence had been purged from Hallownest and thus the inhabitants were no longer prone to needless violence, Hornet was not the kind to let her guard down so easily. Ghost apparently felt the same, as they eagerly spared with their sibling whenever they got the chance; though, Hornet wasn't sure if this was because Ghost actually felt the need to keep their skills honed, or if they simply liked the thrill of battle. 

However, when Hornet prepared to continue the duel, she was surprised to see that Ghost remained motionless. Even though the young Knight often had a stillness to them to begin with, there were still the slight movements that indicated the Knight’s mood -- or at least where their attention was focused on.

Hornet stood up with a huff, “Oh come now, you are not _that_ upset about the cloak, are you?”  
Ghost didn’t respond, and it was then that Hornet realized that they weren’t even looking at her, rather they were looking _past_ her. She swiftly turned around to see what had caught her sibling’s attention, and froze.

Standing several yards away from their position, partially wreathed by the fog that rolled at the edges of Dirtmouth, was a creature that Hornet had never seen before.  
It was tall, and at first glance she might’ve mistaken it as a mantis or some other variant; it appeared to have the horns and mask similiar to what the Mantis Lords possessed. It even had a cloak that was similar to them. But that was where the similarities ended. 

While most bugs either walked on two, six -- or even eight legs, this creature had four, and they were attached to their body in such a way that made it so the limbs were positioned directly beneath its torso; much like how a bug with two legs would be. 

For a long moment, the three stared with an uneasy, tense silence hanging in the air. Then, just as Hornet gained the nerve to call out a word of greeting to the stranger, a shiver seemed to overcome the creature’s body. With a violent shudder, it promptly keeled over onto the dirt with a muffled thump.

Ghost wasted no time in rushing forward before Hornet could react, coming up to stand beside the form of the creature and gazing down at it curiously.  
Hornet quickly shook herself of her initial surprise and followed soon after, moving to stand beside her shorter sibling to take further stock of the situation. 

Looking over the fallen form of the creature, Hornet discovered details that hadn’t been prevalent to her before due to the distance. For one, the supposed ‘horns’ that she thought the creature possessed atop its head were actually some form of strange, feathery growths that was partially covered by the cloth that no doubt made up the being’s hood and mask. She couldn’t for the life of her make sense of what they were; they almost appeared to be some form of antennae, like the thick frilled ones that the bugs of the moth tribe had, yet different. Hornet also realized that the creature was covered in dark fur, again reminding her of the moths and their furry manes of which they commonly sported, but the fur on this creature was much more course and short. 

Another disturbing observation Hornet made was the fact that she couldn’t see any segments along the creature’s body that would indicate the existence of a shell. And the only creatures she knew of that lacked a shell were lowly maggots and the creatures that resided within the Fog Canyon, which were both extremely soft and vulnerable due to their shell-less exteriors. 

Hornet’s final and most important observation was that the strange creature was still breathing.

“Little Ghost, go and fetch help as swiftly as you are able. I’ll stay and guard the newcomer in case it awakens.”

***

When Hornet had told Ghost to _“go and fetch help”_ , she had assumed they would go to Dirtmouth and get some of the townsfolk to assist them in carrying the unconscious creature to someplace more secure. What she failed to realize was that, to Ghost, _“fetch help”_ obviously translated to them as _“get Quirrel”_.

“Ah, Hornet? Mind telling me what has gotten young Ghost here so frantic?” Quirrel had said after the young Knight had practically dragged the poor scholar all the way to the edge of town, where Hornet had just finished binding the strange creature’s limbs with thread. When Hornet stood up, she revealed the unconscious form on the ground. 

“Oh! Well what happened here?” 

“We aren’t sure,” Hornet admitted as Quirrel moved to get a closer look at the creature. “I believe it may have collapsed from exhaustion. I figure that between the two of us carrying it, we’ll be able to get it into town and put it someplace safe where it can hopefully recover, and then we shall decide what is to be done with it.”

Quirrel nodded, though he probably wasn’t really listening in favor of being deep in thought as he scrutinized the creature. It was indeed incredibly strange looking, and he couldn’t help but marvel at its peculiar appearance; it was so bug-like, yet at the same time, so very alien. 

He shook his head and stood up, now was not the time to let his curiosity get the better of him, this stranger needed their help. 

“Alright then, I suppose best start moving right away. We have no time to lose.”

\---

Nadir awoke. Her vision returning to her in a blurry state, only making out vague shapes as she blinked the fog clouding her mind. 

At first, she thought she was still in the wasteland, but that couldn’t be right -- for if she was, then that meant she wouldn’t have been able to think what she thought in the first place. Disoriented, she attempt to shift herself into a proper sitting position, but found that her limbs were hobbled. 

Fear and alarm immediately flushed her senses of the remaining drowsiness; her vision sharpening into focus as she finally took in her surroundings. She was inside of what appeared to be a structure of some kind -- a house, maybe? More specifically, she figured she was in a room, but she could be wrong. Perhaps she was simply in a very small hut of sorts. Yes that was probably correct; her intuition told her that although the building she was in was sturdy, she could sense that _outside_ was just beyond the door. 

She shifted again, and realized that she was on an elevated platform with only a thin cushion beneath her providing comfort. She took note of the material that was binding her legs and found that it appeared to be some kind of reinforced string, which now that she thought about it, was digging uncomfortably into her skin.  
It was then that the door suddenly opened, and in stepped bug of some kind, holding bowl in its black, clawed hands. Nadir had seen corpses of bugs that looked similar to this bug, but this one was different in the fact that, for one, it was alive and it was wearing a sort of hood on its head.  
When the bug caught sight of Nadir, they stopped, and for a split second the two merely stared at one another before the former broke the silence.

“Ah, hello there! I see that you are awake.” The bug exclaimed cheerfully as they closed the door behind them. “Forgive me, you must be wondering how you got here. You see, a few of my fellows found you collapsed at the edge of town and thought it prudent to bring you here where it’s safer. You haven’t been asleep terribly long, mind. By my estimate you’ve only been out for no more than an hour.” 

_This bug talks a lot._ Nadir thought to herself as she continued to stare at them, her expression completely neutral behind her mask. 

“I brought you some food, in case you were hungry by chance.” The bug suddenly said, changing the subject when they received no response, and knelt down to place the bowl within Nadir’s reach before shifting into a crosslegged position on the floor, as to no doubt be at eye level with her. “Ah, but how rude of me. I should introduce myself. My name is Quirrel, and the two individuals who found you are called Hornet and Ghost. They're outside right now, but I figure that you would prefer some time to adjust before meeting the others.”

Nadir considered this ‘Quirrel’ before her, and after a beat of silence, she deemed it appropriate to speak. “I am Nadir.” Her voice came out hoarse and weak with disuse, but it was clear enough to be understood.

Quirrel looked surprised that she had spoken at all; apparently having assumed that she couldn't talk. “Ah, so you can speak! That's good. I had worried that you wouldn't understand my words. I have never in all my years of exploring encountered a creature such as yourself, and I'm not sure if you may have noticed, but you are quite the foreigner to our land.” 

“No, you wouldn’t,” Nadir responded matter-o-factly, angling her gaze down to rest on the contents inside the bowl. It was soup, no doubt made from things that were equally as foreign to her, but it was soup non-the-less. It smelled pretty good at least. “Encounter one like myself, I mean. For I haven’t seen any creature quite like me in a long time...”

“Oh,” was all Quirrel had to say to that, and Nadir took the opportunity to dip her muzzle into the soup and drink from it. It was as good as it had smelled, and she consumed it greedily until it was nearly gone. It was satisfying to finally have something in her stomach after spending who knows how long eating nothing but small dry creatures she’d dug up in the wastes. 

“This soup is good,” she said aloud, bending her neck to wipe the excess off of her chin and onto the shoulder of her cloak. “What’s in it?”

“Huh?” Quirrel blinked at first at Nadir’s sudden change in topics, but he suspected that maybe the subject of her nature was personal to her, and she'd rather not talk about such things right now; so he decided to let the matter slide. “Oh, it’s just a broth I whipped up with some seasoning added to it. Freshly ground seasoning too, I might add. Picked the mushrooms myself from the Fungal Wastes not too long ago.”

Nadir hummed in thought for a moment, then said: “So, it’s flavored water.”

It took a second before Quirrel barked out a surprised laugh, “Ah, I suppose that is true, my friend!” He chuckled. “Though it may just be flavored water, it is nourishing non-the-less. And if you’re still hungry, I can go and get you a second helping.”

“That would be nice,” Nadir nodded in agreement. “Though, before you go, could you, uh, untie my bonds now? They’re kinda cutting the circulation from my limbs.” She shifted her bound legs in indication. Though the string around them wasn’t tight enough to cut the blood flow off completely, her legs were beginning to lose feeling in them.

Quirrel paused, understanding that Nadir would reasonably want to be freed from her restraints, but the second sentence had given him pause. _Cutting off circulation?_

Suddenly the door opened again, causing both of them to jump, and in stepped another...bug. This one was clothed in a cloak of crimson, and their visage was as white as bone, with twin horns curving elegantly atop its crown. As soon as it laid its dark gaze on Nadir, it visibly tensed, and Nadir took note of the long needle-like blade that they held at their side. 

“Quirrel...” The red one hissed lowly, not taking its -- No, _her_ \-- eerily dark eyes off of Nadir. “I instructed you to inform me as soon as the creature woke up.”  
“My apologies,” Quirrel responded. “I was caught up in a conversation that we were having, and thought it would have been rude to simply turn and run off without at least saying hello.”

“So...it can speak.” Hornet said evenly, stepping more fully into the room and closing the door behind her. Her gait was measured with a graceful poise, Nadir noticed, giving her an almost regal appearance. Based on looks and demeanor alone, Nadir assumed that Hornet must be the leader, or at least the dominating authority in the room at the moment.

“Yes,” Nadir rasped before Quirrel could respond for her. “I can speak.”

Hornet tilted her head slightly at this, her black pupil-less eyes narrowing a fracture. “Then speak, stranger. Who are you and what business do you have with Hallownest?” She spoke in a commanding tone, giving Nadir the suddenly uncomfortable impression that she was being interrogated at this moment.

“I am Nadir, a wandering nomad.” She spoke slowly, trying to hide the uncertainty in her voice as she searched her mind for the relevant information. _Did_ she have business with Hallownest? Who--or what-- no, wait a moment; Hallownest sounded like a name of a place. Was it the name of where they were now? The name of this land? She had to assume it was something to that effect. “And I have no business with your Hallownest. I was drawn here because this was the closest island of clarity that I could reach in the wastelands. Where exactly I came from, I cannot recall, for the wastes beyond have robbed me of my memories as it robs all the thoughts of any creature that wanders across its barren lands.”

Quirrel felt a pang of empathy towards Nadir. He knew what it was like to lose one’s memories after spending any amount of time traversing the lands beyond the border of Hallownest. He had never truly recovered from his amnesia, and even now could only ever recall glimpses of his past life.

“I’m sorry to hear that, friend.” Quirrel finally said, breaking the silence that had pervaded the room after Nadir had finished speaking. Then to Hornet, he said: “By the way, Hornet, do you mind releasing our guest of her restraints? I believe she claimed that they were causing her pain.” Or at least, that was what Quirrel had parsed.

Hornet's stoic demeanor was momentarily cracked to give way to a look of incredulousness. “I didn’t tie the bonds _that_ tightly.” And she hadn't, she knew. Hornet had tied Nadir’s restraints tight enough to be considered secure but not cause any damage, but as she thought about it, it was possible that she had not accounted for the fact that perhaps the lack of a shell would mean that Nadir would have complications were her bonds too tight.

“Really? ‘Cause I can’t feel my legs.” Nadir said, her tone almost had the barest hint of sarcasm to it. “They’ve gone completely numb.” 

After a second of hesitation, Hornet relented and proceeded to cut the threads which bound Nadir’s legs with a few precise swipes of her blade. As soon as the thread fell away, Hornet quickly stood back and watched the creature warily.

Nadir slowly rose to her hooves and flexed each of her limbs to work the feeling back into them; she was sore all over, no doubt about that being the result of trekking across the wastelands for so long. She heaved a steadying breath, nodding to Hornet in gratitude. “Thank you.” 

Hornet ignored her, instead she stood up tall and in a flash the tip of her needle was poised just inches from Nadir’s throat before anyone had time to react. Nadir suddenly found herself wither nervously as Hornet’s eyes bored into hers.

“Be warned, nomad.” Hornet spoke in a low, menacing tone as she leaned in close. ”Though you are free to walk amongst our kingdom, if I suspect you of harboring ill-intent or any ulterior motives, I will exact the swift judgement of my nail upon you. Am I understood?”

Nadir stared. In the back of her mind, she mused about the peculiarity of herself suddenly being threatened at all. She didn’t know why it puzzled her so; it was only reasonable for Hornet to be threatening her. After all, Nadir was a stranger in their lands, and these bugs had every right to be cautious of her, however unfounded those reservations may be. 

Nadir was brought out of her brief reverie when her ear twitched at the sound of Quirrel fidgeting uncomfortably beside them; he was watching the confrontation with obvious anxiety, and Nadir realized that she had yet to actually answer Hornet.

“Yes. I understand.” She replied hoarsely.


	2. Crossroads

After the brief confrontation with Hornet was over, Quirrel made the suggestion of showing Nadir around town to help her familiarize herself. Hornet response was curt and dismissive, saying something along the lines of: “do what you will, I have other business to attend to.” before she quickly departed soon after.

Now Nadir was standing outside of the small hut she had been held in, staring out at the dimly lit town before her.  
Its streets were empty, though she wasn’t quite sure why she had expected there to be anyone around; perhaps some part of her was hoping to find a booming and thriving civilization after traveling for so long in solitude, and the lack of life visible at present left her with a thin sense of disapointment. 

“Welcome to the faded Town of Dirtmouth!” Quirrel announced beside her jovially. “It might not seem like much, but it has a way of growing on you after a while.”

Nadir turned her head about, surveying their surroundings and taking in the dilapidated buildings, the occasional breeze ruffling her cloak. There were no lights on from what she could see from the dark windows, and she pondered the idea that maybe the town’s residence were merely asleep at this hour, and that when the sun came up the town would come to life and not look so gloomy. 

When the sun came up...

The sun...

Why did that thought feel strange to her? She suddenly felt compelled to look up, and was startled to find that the sky was nothing but blackness. She felt her mind cry out that something was missing from the sky, something important, the sky wasn’t suppose to be so empty. Empty skies. The endless nothing yawning above her, the void threatening to suck her in to empty eternity. No--no, maybe... maybe it was just cloudy out. Yes. That must be it; it was just really cloudy out tonight and--

“Nadir? Are you feeling unwell?” Quirrel’s voice sounded close by, filled with concern.

Nadir snapped out of her troubled mind’s ramblings, and she realized that she had been shaking whilst she had been staring up at the sky.

“If you aren’t feeling well, we could always continue our tour later.” Quirrel spoke again, “It certainly wouldn’t do if you were to suddenly pass-out again, wouldn’t it?” He chuckled.

Nadir couldn’t help but huff a sound of amusement herself, but it ended up sounding more like a short grunt due to her sand-beaten lungs and throat. She didn’t mind though, it was good to be talking to somebody again. Talking to a real, living, breathing individual; not the fabricated mirages she would chase during her harsher days out in the wasteland. No, this was real this time. She wasn’t in the wasteland anymore; she wasn’t alone anymore.

“I’m fine,” Nadir reassured Quirrel, looking at him and smiling gently, despite knowing that her mask prevented him from actually seeing her expression. “I was just wondering where everyone else is.” If there _was_ anyone else.

“Ah, the townsfolk are most likely in their homes right now, that or they are tending to their shops. Though I suppose there might be a few bugs out by the bench around this time. Elderbug seems to always be standing near there, anyways. He’s the town’s eldest resident, by the way.”

Quirrel had started walking whilst he spoke, and Nadir followed in step beside him, listening with rapt attention as they moved in the direction where she assumed this bench was. A thought suddenly struck her, and she glanced incredulously at Quirrel.

“’The bench’? You speak as though there is only one bench. Singular.”

Quirrel raised an inquisitive brow at her. “That is because there _is_ only one bench.”

“Only one bench?” Nadir squinted. “In the entire town, there is only one bench?”

“Yes, only one lonely, iron bench.”

There was a beat of silence.

“That’s dumb.” Nadir stated flatly, which only caused Quirrel to chortle good-naturedly.

Before she knew it, they had apparently arrived at said lonely bench, by which was a larger bug standing beneath the light of a lumfly-lit lamp post. The elderly bug turned to look in their direction as the two of them drew near, and he let out a surprised noise as he laid eyes on Nadir.

“Hello, Elder!” Quirrel waved, hoping to ease any worries from the older bug before they had a chance to arise. “Lovely weather we’re having, is it not?”

 _Seriously? The weather?_ Nadir couldn’t help but give an audible snort at the cliche conversation topic. Though on second thought, she wasn't sure why she thought bringing up the weather was cliche. 

“Uh--yes, indeed. The weather is...quite nice.” Elderbug replied, glancing at Nadir as if he wasn’t sure whether to regard her with caution or not. “So...I see the visitor has awakened?”

Quirrel nodded. “Her name is Nadir, she’s a fellow traveller.”

“I see,” Elderbug regarded Nadir with a bemused expression. “Well, if you are traveling through, you are welcome to stay as long as you wish in our little town.”

“Thank you.” Nadir nodded politely in gratitude. She didn’t think it would be appropriate to mention Hornet’s threat from earlier, and wasn’t sure about where the political stand points lie and didn’t want to spark anything by comparing who had the true authority between the two. Wait--why did she even care? She gave a slight shake of her head to clear her thoughts. It didn’t matter.

“By the way, Quirrel,” Elderbug spoke again. “The little one wandered off not too long ago. I believe I saw him head down to the Crossroads through the well.”

“The Crossroads?” Nadir’s ears perked with interest. Perhaps there was more life beyond this derelict town.

“Ah yes, goods an d travelers used to flow through the Crossroads, though it has unfortunately since fallen into disrepair. I was just thinking about showing you there next!” Quirrel responded. “Though there are still some shops we haven’t visited yet, we can head over to the well right now if you want.” 

Nadir considered this for a brief moment, but shook her head. Her mind was already made up, and her interest piqued. “I’d like to see this Crossroads.”

\--

The entrance to the Crossroads, as Quirrel had informed her, was literally down a lone well at the opposite end of town. 

“Tell me again--” Nadir called from above where she perched at the rim of the well. “--why we have to go down a well in order to get to the Crossroads?”

There wasn’t even a staircase or anything, and she found herself hesitant to execute a leap of faith down into the depths as Quirrel had done just seconds before. 

“I’m not quite sure, honestly.” Quirrel replied, his voice echoing from below. “My best guess is that some fellow had the idea to dig the well and ended up digging into a cavern instead.”

“Huh,” Nadir pawed at the edge of the well, peering down at Quirrel from where she was as if trying to gage the distance. After another moment of hesitation, she seemed to gain her resolve and dropped down. With her fore-hooves outstretched, she connected with one side of the well, followed by her back legs and pivoting swiftly to kick off to the opposite wall as she descended, minimizing the velocity of her fall before landing lightly beside Quirrel. “You’d think one might have the sense to transform the well into a more convenient means of descending.”

Quirrel found Nadir’s method of getting down interesting, but decided not to comment on it as he looked around; no doubt attempting to guess which way the Ghost most likely went. “I agree, though I reckon there hasn’t been anyone around with architectural skill for quite some time.”

Nadir followed along side Quirrel as he picked a direction and began walking. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you see, Hallownest has been nothing but a shadow of its former self for quite some time. When the infection came about, the kingdom fell, taking many lives with it. It has only been recently that we have begun to rebuild after the source of the pestilence was permanently dealt with.”

“A plague?” Nadir voice rose with intrigue, stepping over various cracks and fallen rubble as they went. “Were there no Healers in your kingdom? No Doctors?”

Quirrel grunted as he hoisted himself up a ledge, “Oh, we certainly had a fair amount of Healers; Shamans; Seers and the like. Even individuals who sought to further harness the power of SOUL in an effort to find a cure. But nothing worked. The pestilence wasn’t something that was merely physical, it was a plague that attacked the mind of every bug. Speaking to them in their dreams, promising to grant power and courage to those who willingly submitted their will to it.”

Nadir leapt onto the ledge with ease as they soon came to an archway of sorts. It looked ancient, with arcane carvings crisscrossing along it, connecting to the zenith of the arch, where carvings of three masks were integrated into the design. One possessed six eyes, the other possessing four, and the middle having one single eye in the middle. 

Nadir would have taken more time to admire the archway a little longer had Quirrel not continued onwards. Hardly giving the archway a second glance, as he continued speaking.

“The Pale King himself became desperate, and finally devised a plan to seal the heart of the plague away, so that it could no longer reach the minds of bugs. But in order to do this, he had to create a being that was alive but had no will that could be tempted by the light. A being that was devoid of the flaws that made bugs susceptible to the plague’s influence.”

Nadir drank all this in, but she found herself still confused as Quirrel’s explanation only raised more questions. However, before she could open her mouth to voice these, her eyes caught the sight of something when they entered into a large chamber.  
It was a black, dome-shaped building with four spires sprouting from it like curved horns; a dim light eminating from within the building, and as they drew closer, Nadir spotted the symbols of those three masks carved just above the doorway. 

“What is this place?” 

“This is the Temple of the Black Egg. Or it used to be. Now I suppose it’s more appropriate to simply call it the Black Temple.” He did not elaborate as they entered the Temple, instead choosing to call out into the surprisingly sparse interior.

“Little Ghost! Are you in here?”

The room was devoid of anything that could be of any significance, other than the massive crater that occupied the majority of the floor. Nadir got the impression that once upon a time, something used to be there. Something of importance.  
However, the being who was crouched near the center of the crater caught her eye, and Nadir faultered in her steps to stare blankly at the small cloaked figure.

“Ah, there you are, my friend!” Quirrel sighed in a mixture of exasperation and relief. “We were hoping to run into you down here. Why not come on up here and say hello to our guest.”

Ghost stood up, turning to look at Quirrel, and Nadir finally got a good look at their face. Two curved horns atop a white visage that could have very well been either their mask or their actual face. It had two empty, round sockets filled with nothing but blackness. Similar to Hornet’s eyes, but more...chilling. Strangely, the eyes reminded her of the emptiness of the sky above Dirtmouth, and she couldn’t help but give an involuntary shudder at the thought.

Those eyes were trained directly on her as Ghost walked towards them; its small feet tapping against the stone floor. With a hop, skip and a jump, Ghost alighted beside Quirrel before coming to stop in front of Nadir; looking up at her with those _eyes_.

Nadir couldn’t stop herself from taking a step back, almost as if she were afraid of the small Knight, but her ears were perked forward in obvious interest. She was just unsure of this little Ghost. Unsure of what to think of it; It stood so still, she wondered if it was even breathing.

Quirrel watched on with a touch of concern. Hornet’s interaction with Nadir was met with mixed results, and he secretly hoped that perhaps Ghost would have better luck with befriending the nomad. 

For a few moments, the two merely stared at each other in silence. It was impossible to tell what was going through either creature’s minds. But slowly, Nadir leaned forward and lowered her head to be at eye level with Ghost, who in turn reached out a small hand and rested it upon the surface of her mask.  
The world fell away.

ooooOOOOoooo

_They were standing together in a loose group, none daring to move as they stared forwards at the Pale being pacing before them, looking down at all of them with a dispassionate gaze. They didn’t know why the Pale being scrutinized them so, just that any wrong move could mean the end._

_The Pale being suddenly stopped, its pronged crown of horns casting a foreboding shadow across one sibling for a brief moment. Then with a flash, the sibling was no more than a crumpled, lifeless heap. The siblings standing beside the one who had been struck down looked blankly at their fallen brethren, as if they couldn’t quite comprehend what just happened. They too, where struck down. Their remains joining the fallen._

_Each of the ones closest to the recently slain responded with a reaction of some kind. An uncomprehending glance; a startled flinch; an involuntary step back, it didn’t matter. If they reacted at all, they would be struck down. If they run, they would be struck down. If they tried to defend themselves, they would be struck down. Nothing any of them did would stop the Pale being._

_We felt rage boiling within our small frame, causing us to tremble as we stared straight ahead, waiting for the Pale being to pass us. We didn’t understand what was going on, we couldn’t comprehend why this seemingly needless carnage was happening. And we were powerless to stop it, but we wouldn’t go down without a fight._

_As the Pale being drew closer, we tensed in anticipation to strike first, but something stopped us. A hand--our sibling’s hand, the taller one with the curved horns and the brown cloak--was holding our own gently hidden beneath our cloaks, as if to say “wait”.  
We didn’t understand, but it was too late to do anything as the Pale being came before us. We stood motionless, our hands secretly intertwined with our sibling, and the Pale being passed by us, but we weren’t struck down. Why...?_

ooooOOOOoooo

Nadir leapt back as the vision ended, stumbling until she found herself sitting on the floor. 

“Nadir! Are you alright?” Quirrel reached out a steadying hand on Nadir’s withers, and felt the course fur bristling beneath his palm. How curious...

At first Nadir didn’t respond, confusion whirring within her mind. What on earth had she seen? It couldn’t have been her own memory, no way. She hadn’t felt like she had being reliving a forgotten memory, rather she had been simply looking at a memory through the eyes of another...  
Nadir suddenly whipped her head up to look at Ghost with a mixture of realization and horror. Had she just bared witness to the little Ghost’s memory? 

Ghost, to their credit, appeared to have been startled as well. Their hand still held in the air as if in shock, though it was difficult to tell due to their expressionless nature. 

“What happened? Are you two alright?” Quirrel fretted between glancing at Nadir and Ghost, concern evident in his voice. 

“I...” Nadir finally found her voice, but her mouth felt suddenly dry. “I think...I just saw a memory.”

Quirrel straightened at this. “A memory? You mean, you had a vision of your past?”

Nadir slowly shook her head. “No...not mine. It was...Ghost’s.”


	3. Grossarius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh right... this fic is a thing.

“No...not mine. It was...Ghost’s.”

Quirrel’s response to Nadir’s declaration was nothing short of astonishment. His first impulse was to ask about what she’d seen, but he quickly stifled it before he could phrase the question. Despite how curious Quirrel was about the young Knight’s past, it was not his place nor his right to try and pry into what might be considered personal to the little Ghost. “Are you certain of this?” He asked.

Nadir nodded numbly, her eyes unfocussed and staring at nothing as her body trembled slightly. She felt drained of energy all of a sudden, and her fore-legs buckled as she slumped fully to the ground. The stone floor was rather cold, she noted, the floor was nice. Maybe she should just lay down for a bit... 

“Interesting...” Quirrel mused, placing a hand on his chin in thought. This development was most interesting, indeed. To have witnessed one’s memories by merely coming into contact with them...how very strange indeed. He wondered what the catalyst could have been to cause such a phenomenon to spark; it must have had something to do with the little Ghost’s nature, as Quirrel had come into contact with Nadir quite a few times without this adverse reaction occurring. Or at least, he didn’t think it had occurred.

“Has this ever happened before?” He asked, just to be sure. “These glimpses into others’ memories?”

Nadir shook her head. “No...I, uh, don’t think so.” She couldn’t remember if she’d ever possessed this ability in the past. It was all too shrouded in obscurity, and she felt too exhausted.

Ghost seemed to finally snap out of their daze, only just realizing that they’d still been holding their hand in the air awkwardly, and quickly retracted it back beneath their cloak. But besides that, all they did was stare owlishly at Nadir with those circular, void-filled sockets of theirs. 

Nadir felt the hairs along her back stand on end as she returned its stare. She couldn’t tell what the little Ghost was thinking. Were they upset? Mad that she had unwittingly seen what was undoubtedly a snapshot of their past? She didn’t know, and the little Ghost only continued to stare at her, offering no indication of what their current mood or mindset was. It was starting to make her feel anxious as she shifted in place on the floor.

Quirrel seemed to sense the growing unease emanating off Nadir--that and the fact that he still had a hand resting on the nomad’s back and felt the odd, black fur beginning to bristle again. 

Quickly, he stood up, making a show of stretching and letting out a drawn out sigh. “Ah, well I do believe we should start heading back to Dirtmouth,” He announced with his usually up-beat demeanor.“It is getting late, so perhaps it’d be best if we worry about this matter later after a bit of rest, hmm?”

It was obvious that he was trying to divert the tension by distracting them, but it seemed to work anyways as Ghost had since started walking on ahead of them. Nadir, however, took a little longer to get to her hooves. She seemed deep in thought, her head bowed low as she trudged on along side Quirrel in silence. Quirrel had to nudge her shoulder gently every once and a while whenever she began to lag. 

Nobody spoke during the entire trip back to the Well. Nadir spent that time thinking to herself about what she’d seen and what it meant, she tried again to recall any of her memories from before her time in the wasteland, but she just couldn’t pierce the veil enshrouding that part of her mind. She eventually gave up, too mentally drained from the experience of Ghost’s memory to think about it anymore. 

Quirrel was also deep within his own musings. He wondered what Nadir had seen in the young Knight’s memories; what secrets did the nomad discover; was it a recent memory of theirs? Or was it a memory from the distant past? So many similar questions swirled in the bug’s mind, and Quirrel’s thirst for knowledge urged him to have these questions answered. But such things could wait, right now they needed to get back to town. 

When they made it to where the bottom of the Well was, Ghost was standing by beneath it, apparently having decided to wait for them before ascending.   
Instead of using the chain to climb up immediately, Ghost hopped up and clung onto the wall using their mantis claw, then proceeded to propel themselves upwards by doing a maneuver that was almost uncannily similar to what Nadir had did whilst descending the Well. Only now Ghost was using it to _ascend_ up the Well. 

Nadir wasn’t sure if she possessed the strength to do that. 

As she watched Quirrel easily use the chain to hoist himself up the well, she figured her hoof-work would be nimble enough to use the loose brickwork as footholds, and began making her way ponderously up the Well. Her climb was similar to how a mountains goat scaled sheer cliff faces, and so she managed to get out without any miss-haps; struggling a bit as she clambered over the rim and onto the surface. She felt as though she could collapse right then and there, but she willed herself to follow Quirrel and Ghost into town.

As they walked, she felt her mind begin to wander, and inadvertently found herself once again thinking about the sky. She lifted her head, looking up again at the seemingly infinite blackness above. She had been in denial before, but she knew better now; there were no clouds obscuring the sky, it was simply devoid of light. 

“Quirrel...?”

“Hm?” Quirrel glanced down at Nadir, his eyes inquisitive as ever.

“Has the sky...always been this empty?” Nadir worded her question with care, not daring to meet the other’s eyes. She didn’t have to look to see Quirrel’s puzzlement at her inquiry, as he too glanced up at the sky above. Nadir knew that the little Ghost was also listening in on the conversation.

“Well, yes. I believe so. Why? Is there something that’s suppose to be up there?” Quirrel questioned, glancing back at Nadir.

Nadir stopped, causing Quirrel to stop as well; Ghost turned around after realizing that their two companions had ceased moving and they stared silently at them with a slight tilt to their head. Quirrel, equally as puzzled, as he waited for Nadir to respond.

“I...” Nadir hesitated, her eyes leaving the sky and turning downcast before she shaking her head. “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter...” She resumed walking without waiting for Quirrel to respond, wanting to change the subject for now. She didn’t feel ready to talk about it, she needed more time to think. “Is there anywhere we can get something to eat by chance?” She asked.

Quirrel perked up, Nadir’s previous odd question temporarily being pushed from his mind. “Oh! Are you hungry?”

Nadir nodded. “Starving. Actually.” And it was true, she hadn’t gotten the chance to look at herself in a mirror, but Nadir knew that her ribs were showing beneath her cloak, and she was most likely near half-starved from surviving so long out in the wastes. She had long since forgotten that she was hungry as a result, but now it seems that after she consumed Quirrel’s soup, her hunger had reanimated with a vengeance. 

“Ah, I see. Well I could pop into my hut and make some more soup if you want.” Quirrel offered. But Nadir shook her head.

“No thanks. Your soup is great and all, but I think I could go for something more substantial than that.” Nadir said offhandedly, her ears swiveling as she looked about; hoping to spot...something. A place to eat...what was it called again? A place that sold food, she knew. Why she expected to find one in Dirtmouth, she didn’t know. 

Quirrel seemed to consider this, humming as he rubbed the back of his head in thought. “Hmm, well, I suppose I could go out later and forage for more green truffles...”

“Doesn’t this town have a grocery?” Grocery, that was the word she was looking for! She turned to look expectantly at Quirrel, but found him looking back at her with a blank expression.

“Pardon?”

“A grocery,” Nadir repeated. “A Grossarius. A dealer in quantity? A supplier of food stuffs?”

At this, Quirrel looked abashed. “Well, uh, since the pestilence had only been eradicated recently, we have yet to actually build a stable means of supplying food. I believe that back during the golden age of Hallownest the City of Tears had something similar to what you’re describing...” Quirrel glanced at Ghost, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. “There...aren’t many of us left in Dirtmouth, and we don’t need to eat too often. So setting up a place for selling food has been a low priority at present.”

For some reason, this made Nadir’s head whirl with conflicting emotions. “What do you mean, you don’t need to eat too often? When was the last time _you_ ate?”

Quirrel blinked. “Ah, well I suppose it’s been a couple of nights. But I haven’t seen Ghost here eat anything since I first met the little fellow.” 

“What’s this about the little Ghost eating?” A voice spoke, and Nadir nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed Hornet standing nearby. When the heck had she arrived?

Quirrel seemed unbothered by Hornet’s sudden appearance, looking to her with a smile. “Ah, hello Hornet! We were just discussing the subject of food. Our guest apparently has a bigger appetite than expected.”

Nadir wrinkled her nose beneath her mask, feeling like that last sentence was a passive aggressive jab or something, but Quirrel seemed so earnest whenever he spoke that she couldn’t say for certain. So she kept her mouth shut.

“Hasn’t she already eaten?” Hornet asked, inclining her head. “You gave her soup, did you not?”

Quirrel nodded. “I did. But she claims that she’s starving.” 

Now Quirrel made it sound like she was complaining, and she couldn’t help but roll her head back with a miffed grunt. “I’m right here, y’know...” She muttered, then said a little louder; “Why are you bugs acting like my state of hunger is so bizarre? I mean--look! My ribs are showing for skies sakes!” She bit down on the edge of her cloak and drew her head back to reveal just how thin she was. She was terribly emaciated, her skin clinging to her bones and her hips jutting out atop her flanks, which had lost alot of muscle tone in her once powerful legs--now gaunt and weak like dried twigs. 

For a moment, everyone just stared. Hornet and Quirrel looked visibly disturbed. Hornet had thought the nomad lacked a shell, like a squishy grub with no exoskeleton to protect their soft bodies-- but no, Nadir had a skeleton...on the _inside._ A fact that any bug would find greatly disturbing, if not outright horrifying. 

Any bug, that is, except for the little Ghost.

Nadir flinched when she suddenly felt a small hand touch her side, and glanced down to find that little _Void-eyes_ ,(as she had taken to mentally dubbed them), was evidently feeling her ribs beneath her skin with an innocent, almost child-like curiosity--which was the only thing stopping her from drawing away completely; instead waiting patiently as the young Knight contemplated.

Ghost pondered about the strangeness of this “inside-skeleton”. They’d never seen a creature with a shell that was on the inside, and the ribs reminded them of Nosk, but even that horrid mimic bore its skeleton on the outside. Nadir was definitely different, and the little Ghost soon withdrew their hand and stepped back, indicating that they were now done poking at her.

With a shake of her head as she let her cloak fall back over her body, Nadir heaved another sigh. “Look, I’m grateful for all the help ya’ll have given me so far, but its obvious that I have needs that aren’t exactly the same as your own. And if I turn out to be too much trouble for you, then...” Nadir trailed off, but she knew that it wouldn’t be right to burden these bugs any further. They had absolutely no reason to continue helping her, and although she hated the thought of having to strike out on her own once more after finding folks who she could actually talk to, she just wouldn’t feel right troubling them with her problems.

“Now wait a moment,” Quirrel spoke up, shaking off his initial shock from before. “Who said anything about you becoming too much trouble for us? I’ll admit, that there are certainly differences between us bugs and yourself, but that doesn’t mean we cannot help one another. Am I right, Hornet?”

Hornet blinked, looking from Quirrel to Nadir, then to Ghost and back again. Even if she didn’t quite trust Nadir, Hornet knew her own opinion was outnumbered, and that making a fuss about it now would not bode well for anyone involved. So, with reluctance, she gave a curt nod in response. "Indeed. As it was we who had taken you in, we are now responsible for you."

That was all Quirrel needed to be satisfied, and so he turned back to Nadir. “I’m sure we can take the Old Stag down to the Queen’s Station to forage for more food. I’m pretty sure I know where we can get some nice treats right quick.”

Nadir quirked an ear to the side. "Old Stag?"


	4. Scary Stag Beetles and Nice Weevils

Nadir was surprised when Quirrel led her inside a small building, and found that there was a platform that descended downwards into a underground corridor via a unique, clockwork system that operated via weighted pendulums, which moved upwards whilst the platform moved downwards when triggered by the passenger’s weight. Nadir marveled at how it all worked, before a thought suddenly struck her and she shot a look at Quirrel -- who was standing beside her on the ride down.

“See? Why doesn’t the Well have this sort of thing? It would make descending it much easier!” 

Quirrel laughed, “It certainly would, wouldn’t it? However, I do not know of any bug who has the proper skill or knowledge to incorporate such a contraption. The technology that was responsible for the existence of machines, such as the Tramways and elevators, were lost with the fall of the kingdom.”

 _Whatever the source of this pestilence was,_ Nadir thought to herself with a shiver, _I’m glad it’s no longer around._

Nadir was brought out of her thoughts when they came upon a odd looking bell suspended on a small iron dais, and beyond that was a pole, bearing multiple signs with what Nadir could only assume to have the names of different places written on them. The language and symbols were completely foreign to her, which she found funny for some reason, but couldn’t muster much energy to ponder over it too much. And ahead of that was a segment where –– when she leaned forward over the edge of the platform –– she could see the that it was a sort of two-way tunnel, heading deeper into the earth to parts unknown. 

When she looked down at the ground level a less than a meter below her, she noted that the path looked well worn, as if something had to have trafficked this runway for many years in order to get the dirt so thoroughly packed down. _This must be the Stagway,_ Nadir realized.

She watched as Quirrel rang the bell, her ears twitching at the tinny tinkling sound that ––while it seemed small–– practically resonated and echoed down the Stagway for what felt like an eternity. 

A few seconds later, Nadir’s ears perked again, this time at the sound of something big rapidly approaching. And on impulse, Nadir leaned her head out again from the edge of the platform to peer down the tunnel, eyes wide and ears held forward in anticipation; she could almost see something as whatever it was turned around a bend in the tunnel and was charging towards them.

Nadir was so enraptured with her own curiosity that she inadvertently leaned a little too far off the platform --her weakened state causing her to stumble forwards as her rear end struggled to backpedal in an effort to reel her front end back to solid ground.

“Woah there!” Quirrel used a hand to grab onto Nadir’s cloak and pull her back to safety just as the large creature barreling down the Stagway came to a screeching halt in front of them. “Careful now, we wouldn’t want the Old Stag accidentally running into you!” Quirrel warned with a friendly pat on Nadir’s back, which although wasn’t strong, the gesture still made Nadir teeter ever so slightly. 

The Old Stag was a stag _beetle._

Nadir didn’t know whether she felt disappointed, awed, or...wait why would she feel disappointed? Was she expecting something else? Maybe...

She was shaken from her moment of confusion when the stag beetle emitted a loud chuffing sound, causing her to frighten and skitter in place a second before she calmed herself down. The beast was _loud_. It’s voice gruff like a bull and edge with a weariness that could only be from old age, she realized it even possessed a sort of beard growing just below its sunken in eyes.

“Greetings, stranger.” 

Nadir blinked, realizing that she’d been staring awkwardly at the stag for some time now and quickly fumbled to apologize, “Oh! Sorry– I, uh, I mean– h-hello.”

The Old Stag grunted in reply, apparently not at all bothered by her previous staring and proceeded to face ahead, waiting for them to climb aboard no doubt; Nadir could see that the Stag possessed two rows of cushioned seats secured to the back of his thorax. The seats looked rather cumbersome, and Nadir honestly didn’t know how she felt about actually climbing onto them.

“Ah, there you are, Ghost!” Quirrel suddenly said, and Nadir turned her head to see Ghost hopping off the lift and making their way towards them. Apparently they had decided to come along after all, Nadir thought. “Now then, you two should board the Stag and head straight to the Queen’s Station; Ghost, you remember where the room with the green truffles are, yes?” 

Ghost nodded as they brushed passed and hopped onto one of the seats atop the Stag, looking to Nadir expectantly, whilst she looked from Quirrel to Ghost and back again.

“Wait– y-you’re not coming with?” Nadir asked, not knowing why she suddenly felt nervous, but for some reason the thought of having to go to this new place without Quirrel was alarming to her. After all, Quirrel was the first bug she’d spoken to when she had awoken, and had been by far the only bug she’d conversed with legitimately for any length of time. 

“Unfortunately so, my friend.” Quirrel conceded, “Hornet wishes to have a talk with me about some other matters, and I have to get back to work on deciphering transcripts with a fellow colleague of mine. So, I won’t be able to come with you on this venture. But do not worry! Ghost knows their way through-out the breadth of Hallownest and is more than capable of protecting you should anything arise on the way.”

Nadir was still uncertain, her ears pinned back as she shuffled her hooves anxiously. It wasn’t that she didn’t _like_ Ghost. She just felt awkward about the prospect of having to travel with them alone, especially after what had happen when they’d first met. But it seemed as though she didn’t really have much of a choice, as her stomach clenched again in protest. 

“Okay...” Nadir finally said, turning to face the edge of the platform and gingerly placing a hoof on the back of the Stag. She was surprised with how steady the large bug was as she climbed on, sitting just beside Ghost with her back legs tucked beneath her and her forelegs hugging the backrest of the seat in front of them. She glanced one more time at Quirrel, who was waving at her.

“Have a safe trip!”

“See you later Quirrraaa _AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH...!!!_ ” Nadir clung to the front seat with her fore-hooves as the Stag lurched forward, barreling down the tunnel at speeds that took the breath from her lungs and sent her cloak billowing out behind her. _They were moving so fast!_ Nadir could hardly believe such a beast was capable of moving at such speeds as she saw lights lining the ceiling of the tunnel flash by in a blur of light. Even with the light fixtures, the tunnel was still incredibly dim and all she could hear was the roaring of multiple legs pounding against densely packed earth. 

At first the sensation was terrifying, but as they zoomed down the tunnel, Nadir felt a sense of exhilaration she’d long forgotten. The feeling of running faster than any creature, of the wind blowing against her fur, flying across the...

Suddenly the Old Stag skidded to a grinding halt as they apparently arrived at their destination, and Nadir was derailed from her train of thought as she looked around at their new surroundings.

It was...brighter here. Where was the light coming from though? There were plants here as well, lots of plants in fact; all completely foreign yet at the same time familiar to her. It was a stark contrast to the gloom of Dirtmouth, and this was supposedly only the loading platform. 

Nadir and Ghost dismounted from the Stag and once they were both safely on the platform, Ghost glanced at Nadir a moment, then smoothed down a patch of fur along her back that had gotten ruffled up on the ride. 

“Oh, thanks...” Nadir commented monotonously, still unsure as to how she felt about the small bug touching her. She always felt a kind of chill run down her spine whenever they did that–– not that their touch was cold or anything like that. It just felt abnormal... like being touched by something that you’d expect to feel one way, only to have a completely different texture from what its initial appearance would imply. She...she didn’t know how to explain it. It was all too confusing, and it made her head hurt just trying to parse her tangled thoughts.

Shaking her head again, she realized that she had been standing idle for several seconds, and that Ghost had already began walking towards the exit and she quickly trotted after them.

Nadir found herself entering into a much larger chamber lined with stone architecture that was overtaken by lush plant-life, the light still pervaded the room as she stepped further into the ‘Queen’s Station’; the sound of her hoof-steps echoing off the stone walls.

She could tell just by looking at the state of this place that it had been neglected from disuse, probably having been long abandoned some time ago. Her ears flicked at some faint sound, and she stopped, her posture becoming alert as her ears flicked and swiveled. She could have sworn she’d heard something like the faint ringing of bells, though there was not a breeze to possibly disturb the many bells she saw hanging silently from the ceiling when she looked up at them, and as she strained her ears she thought she could almost hear the sound of...voices. Like the echos of the distant past were still bouncing off the walls long after the place had been abandoned, and it was as though for a brief moment she could actually imagine the throng of creatures crowding the Station, disembarking from one stag to another as they went about their daily lives. 

“This place must’ve been busy a long time ago,” Nadir mused aloud, mostly to herself rather than Ghost –– who was standing just beside her. But she had a feeling that the short bug was listening just as intently as she was, and perhaps even agreed with her. Or maybe she was just self-projecting on the expressionless fellow.

Whatever Ghost was thinking, they did not voice their thoughts aloud, and instead turned to leap up a pile of rubble –– which Nadir assumed used to be a staircase at some point, before disappearing overhead on the second level.

Nadir inhaled sharply and quickly trotted after the little Knight, taking care whilst she ascended the aging stonework. She soon entered what appeared to have been another Stag station, only this one seemed to have collapsed, making it no more than the dead-end of an alcove. Ghost was looking around the room, which upon further inspection looked like something, or someone, had been living there recently; with a ragged cobweb of cloth hanging over a nest of rough looking pillows as well as other indications that the space had been occupied at some point. However, whomever had once lived here was no where to be seen now. This fact seemed to bother Ghost somewhat, but Nadir refrained from saying anything as she watched them move further into the room and look up at the ceiling.

When she glanced up in turn, she saw a small cluster of green mushrooms sprouting from the opening of a crevice. 

“How are we going to get up there?” Nadir questioned, looking pointedly at Ghost. She could have probably jumped high enough to snag a few, but in her weakened state she wasn’t so sure.

However, Ghost seemed more than capable of the feat as they sprung up into the air like a cricket, and just when Nadir thought they’d reached the apex of their jump, a glow suddenly bloomed from their cloak and –– for a split second –– Nadir saw a pair of wings. In an instant, Ghost got a second push and ascended the rest of the way into the crevice in the ceiling. 

“Double jumper...” Nadir squinted, at the crevice above where Ghost had disappeared into. Then a second later, several of the green truffles rained down onto the floor in front of her, with Ghost swinging out of the hole and letting themselves fall the rest of the way down with a soft thump.

Nadir leaned down to sniff the truffles, before taking a hesitant bite out of one and chewing it slowly. 

It had a rubbery texture to it, the inside was slimy and possessed a slightly garlicky flavor that was musky and pungent. It wasn’t _bad_ , but it certainly wasn’t all too delightful either. But it was food, and so she quickly forced down as much of them down her maw as she could; abandoning all sense of decensy as she ravinously devoured the edible fungi. 

She only paused when she noticed that Ghost had been staring at her the entire time she’d been pigging out, and she self-consciously drew herself up; clearing her throat awkwardly and surreptitiously wiping the flecks of truffle off of the muzzle of her mask with a fore-leg. 

“Ah-hem, uhhh, thanks for the food.” Nadir didn’t meet the Knight’s eyes; pawing at the ground as an awkward silence quickly pervaded the room. She found her gaze drifting around the room again, and found herself needing to somehow fill the silence. “It, uh, seems like someone was living in here, y’know?” She snuck a glance at Ghost to see their reaction, but they remained impassive, so she continued: “Makes you wonder where they went, if they’re still around or not. I mean, the pillows over there look worn and old, but they don't have any dust on them to indicate that they’ve been here terribly long. So _someone_ must have been using them, y’know?” 

Ghost didn’t offer much response other than glancing at the pillows briefly before refocusing on Nadir, making her feel even more awkward as she fidgeted in place; her ears splayed asymmetrically to the sides of her head, one cocked higher than the other. 

Ghost’s gaze followed the movement of her ears, tilting their head inquisitively at the manner of which they moved. Nadir noticed this, and her ears flicked forward with surprise. She couldn’t help but chortle a little at the way Ghost followed the movement with their gaze, finding it amusing how curious the little Knight was. 

She was about to call the Knight out on it, but paused when she suddenly heard something behind her. She whirled around, only to come face-to-face with –– well more like face-to-chest –– with a long-necked beetle bug creature with a red carapace and an angular white face. 

“Oh!” The bug exclaimed as it peered down at the two. “I leave for only one moment and return to already find little creatures after my treats.” 

“Uhh– your...your treats?” Nadir tilted her head, her ears going flat as she lifted a tentative hoof. The long-necked bug was big enough that its thorax blocked the only exit in the room as it stood there, scrutinizing them. Nadir shot a look at Ghost, who merely waved at the long-neck to get its attention. 

The long-neck took notice of the little Knight, “Oh, it’s you again? Come in search of more treats have you?” 

Before the young Knight could so much as nod, Nadir swiftly side-stepped in front of them, shaking her head vigorously. “No, no, no, not at all! We–uh, were just, umm–EXPLORING!Yes! Exploring – around the-the station, when we stumbled upon your dwelling. But nobody was home, so we decided to let ourselves in.” Nadir smiled beneath her mask, secretly sweating slightly as she prayed that the taller bug would buy her fib. 

The long-neck only blinked in response, tilting its head slightly as if confused. “Ah, well, do not worry. I just wasn’t expecting company is all, you’re more than free to stop by anytime, as I have told the little one over there already.” They nodded their head in indication to Ghost, who had since moved around Nadir, and the long-neck huffed a small sound of amusement before returning their attention to Nadir. “My name is Willoh.” Willoh dipped their head in greeting. 

Nadir starred at Willoh a beat before remembering her manners, “Nadir.” she replied, dipping her head in kind, and when the young Knight tugged the edge of her cloak she continued: “Oh– and this is Ghost, if you didn’t know already. Have you two met before?” 

Willoh nodded, “Mhmm, I have met the little one before some time ago. Though I didn’t know it had a name until now. It’s nice to know that it does.” 

“Ah, I see.” Nadir smiled politely beneath her mask. Willoh seemed nice. Nadir found their high loopy voice to be somewhat endearing, if not a little silly. “Well, it was nice to make your acquaintance, Willoh. Me and Ghost really should be getting back to Dirtmouth.” 

Willoh nodded again, moving past them and towards the back of the room. “Likewise, friend. Feel free to stop by anytime. Though I do enjoy the quiet in this station, a little company is always good for one’s health.” 

“Haha, I’ll say.” Nadir chortled as she and Ghost began leaving the Station, before she glanced back and waved a hoof. “Goodbye, Willoh!” 

But Willoh was no longer listening, as her head head disappeared into the hole in the ceiling; the sound of happy munching could be heard as the long-neck contentedly chewed on the green truffles. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: sorry for the technical difficulties. hopefully the chapter should read just fine now.


End file.
